Finding small dents in your car can be incredibly frustrating. Taking it in for a repair at an auto body shop and contacting your insurance company seems like a hassle since you can still operate the vehicle.
You may be concerned about repair costs, or increases in your insurance premiums. However, there is an inexpensive option known as paintless dent repair (PDR). While PDR is often used for hail damage, it can also be used for large and small dents anywhere on your car’s paint surface. Furthermore, it leaves the paint job on your car intact, so you don’t have to worry about panels appearing mismatched after the repair. This process maintains the original paint and parts which, in turn, minimizes costs while helping your car retain its value for potential resale.
Paintless Dent Repair or Paintless Dent Removal (PDR) is a technique used by auto body shops that remove dents and dings, leaving the original paint in place.
To ensure that your car dent is repaired properly, you should leave it to the professionals. With Paintless Dent Repair (PDR), auto body shops can remove many types of dent damage including hail or door dings.
Paintless Dent Repair is a process of accessing the back side of the damaged panel and then massaging and shrinking the dent with unique and specialized rods that have different configurations. PDR is faster than conventional repairs and does not use traditional auto body methods like sanding, body fillers in order to maintain your car’s original finish.
Paintless dent repair can work well in the following situations:
• From small to large dents
• On newer cars, typically with model years of 1990 or later
• When cracked or broken paint is not present
• When the dent isn’t close to a panel ‘s edge
• When the panel has not had previous auto body repair
PDR is so effective for hail damage that insurance companies will setup temporary facilities to rapidly assess and repair damage.
Paintless Dent Repair advantages include:
• No repainting or body filler needed
• Does not cost as much as a traditional body repair
• Can be quickly fixed in most cases
• No possibility of paint overspray on other parts of the vehicle
• No risk of incorrect color matching
• Vehicle retains original paint
A vehicle with original paint retains a higher value than a car that has been repainted. No matter where the damage is located, it is always best to keep the original paint on a vehicle for as long as possible.
The calm after a storm is not so smooth when it has resulted in hail damage to your vehicle. In many cases though, getting the damage fixed is not so difficult.
The first thing you should do after the storm is get in contact with both an auto body shop and your insurance company. An auto body shop will help you figure out your hail damage repair options; your insurance company is likely aware that a hailstorm went through your area and can let you know your insurance coverage, as well as repair options.
More often than not, your car can be fixed using a technique called paintless dent repair (PDR). This is used when there are dents in the metal, but the paint job has not been damaged, which is often the case with hail damage. PDR is relatively inexpensive, as many auto body shops offer this service in-house, work with insurance companies after a storm to ship cars to PDR companies, or can refer you to a specialized PDR technician. In areas where hailstorms are common, many insurance companies and collision repair shops will set up temporary PDR spaces to provide quick repairs at minimal cost.
If you want to ensure that you have a flawless Paintless Dent Repair, find a good auto body shop to get your car back to pre-damaged condition. A quick search on Carwise.com will help you find the right shop.
Not all shops offer PDR in-house, as it is a specialized repair process and requires technical training. At Carwise, we can help you locate an auto body shop that offers PDR near you. If you live in an area prone to hailstorms, use Carwise to find a shop near you before a storm hits.
Sources:
MSN Autos
